The agreement requires written employment contracts, employer-funded insurance and direct salary payments, but will take effect only after both governments complete their internal approval procedures.
Uganda and Somalia have signed a bilateral labour agreement setting out employment conditions and protections for Ugandans working in Somalia, where more than 20,000 Ugandan nationals are estimated to be employed.
The agreement was signed in Mogadishu on Thursday by Uganda’s Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Gen. Henry Tumukunde, and Somalia’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Prof. Salim Alio Ibro, during a review of cooperation between the two countries.
Under the deal, workers must receive written employment contracts before leaving Uganda and be at least 21 years old. The contracts must be registered with Somalia’s labour ministry after arrival, while subsequent changes to their terms must benefit the employee.
Employers will be required to pay workers’ salaries directly into bank accounts registered in their names. They must also cover visa fees, travel expenses and insurance against death and disability, and provide a return ticket to Uganda every two years.
The agreement prohibits forced labour and the confiscation of workers’ passports. It also protects their right to communicate with family members and Uganda’s diplomatic representatives.
Workers will be permitted to change employers if the jobs they are given differ from those specified in their contracts. If a worker dies in Somalia, the agreement provides for the remains to be returned to Uganda at the family’s request.
Uganda to tighten recruitment safeguards
Uganda has also committed to ensuring that citizens recruited for overseas employment have no criminal records, undergo the required medical examinations and receive protection against excessive recruitment fees.
The agreement is intended to establish clearer rules for recruitment and employment while strengthening cooperation between the two governments on workers’ welfare. Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the arrangement provides a framework for regulated employment, fair recruitment and the protection of labour rights.
During the signing ceremony, Tumukunde said the relationship between the two countries should produce practical benefits for their citizens.
He called for an end to unlawful dismissals, unpaid wages and benefits, passport confiscation and restrictions on workers’ communication with their families and diplomatic representatives.
The concerns highlight the employment protections the two governments are seeking to establish through the agreement. However, the signing alone does not establish how effectively the new requirements will be enforced.
The agreement will enter into force after both governments complete their internal approval procedures. It will remain valid for three years and renew automatically unless terminated in accordance with its provisions.
Deal builds on earlier bilateral commitments
The labour agreement follows commitments made at the second session of the Somalia-Uganda Joint Permanent Commission in Kampala in October 2025, when the two governments agreed to expand cooperation in areas including security, education, labour and migration.
The latest discussions also addressed trade and investment cooperation. Officials agreed to work towards establishing a Joint Permanent Investment and Business Council by November 30, 2026, according to Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The labour deal covers employment arrangements for citizens of both countries, although the estimate of more than 20,000 workers cited by Ugandan authorities relates to Ugandans employed in Somalia.
